Does bf qualify for military benefits?

October 28, 2009 12:44 PM

Does my boyfriend qualify for veterans benefits?

My boyfriend was discharged from the army after 1 year 11 months and 10 days due to not being able to adapt to military life he received a general discharge under honorable circumstances. He didn't complete his contract and he was never in a combat zone. We are just trying to find out if he is eligible for medical and disability benefits due to mental illness he developed during/after the military?

Also he's already legally disabled and receives social security benefits, but it's barely enough to live on.

posted by lwclec072 to law & government (14 comments total)

He needs to get in touch with the VA to make that determination.
posted by cog_nate at 12:56 PM on October 28

Presumably the military gave your boyfriend paperwork when he was discharged. That should either tell you the information or have contact information with which you can find the answer to your question.
posted by dfriedman at 12:57 PM on October 28

* http://www4.va.gov/healtheligibility/eligibility/DetermineEligibility.asp
* http://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/va-health-care-eligibility

There is also a phone number there to call. It's hard for me to say yes or no just looking through all of the requirements but I would say it's unlikely unless the medical records somehow indicate it was a service-related disability or developed during duty.
posted by crapmatic at 12:59 PM on October 28

He doesn't have the paperwork anymore, he was homeless for several years after the military and lost everything. He has been out of the military for 7 years.
posted by lwclec072 at 1:00 PM on October 28

Actually, in the VA FAQs, this page seems to indicate that he is eligible. Here's the main quote: "You are eligible to apply for VA health care if you are a veteran of active military service and were discharged or released from service under honorable conditions, provided that you meet minimum duty requirements."
posted by cog_nate at 1:00 PM on October 28

(also I should correct myself and say that there is a category for low income veterans but again I'm not sure if this qualifies or not)
posted by crapmatic at 1:00 PM on October 28

lwclec072 -- you can get that service paperwork, including medical records.. it doesn't just disappear. If you Google around you can find out how to order those records.
posted by crapmatic at 1:01 PM on October 28

If you've been discharged from military service, your personnel files are stored here at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). We are the official repository for records of military personnel who have been discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard.

Good luck with this!
posted by crapmatic at 1:02 PM on October 28

Hmmm, after looking at that a little more, it appears that he's eligible to apply if he met the minimum duty requirements. It doesn't spell those requirements out.

He can request his records through the VA. Once he gets those, he can determine his eligibility.
posted by cog_nate at 1:03 PM on October 28

Here's the link for requesting military records.
posted by cog_nate at 1:06 PM on October 28

Tell him to contact the VA and don't worry about the paperwork, they will figure out who he is, when and how long he served and what if anything he's eligible for. The VA's intake department is like an actuarial division or something, determining who is eligible for what is crazy complicated. I had a training session on mental health and addictions services for vets with the head of the VA in Philly and he spent about five minutes trying to explain how their intake process works before just summarizing with, "Forget it, send them to us when you encounter them and we'll take care of it."
posted by The Straightener at 1:07 PM on October 28 [2 favorites]

The Straightener is exactly right. VA intake can figure out what he qualifies for (for the VA, other benefits may vary). Unlike private insurance they don't have a reverse incentive for qualifying him. In addition to 'service-related' problems, he may qualify for fuller coverage based on things like income or 'catastrophic events'. Really, askme can't solve this.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 1:13 PM on October 28 [1 favorite]

There are veterans organizations such as DAV which might be able to help him navigate the VA bureaucracy.
posted by miyabo at 5:56 PM on October 28

You may be able to find useful info in some of the links Here
posted by Pressed Rat at 4:08 PM on October 29